Australian immigration gets a makeover

Want to migrate to Australia? Got some useful practical skills? Well, you could be in luck.

The new budget confirmed recently Down Under included an increase of 5,000 places in the governments Migration Program.

The official figures now allow for 190,000 for 2012-13 which will include 129,250 skilled stream places, 60,185 family stream places and 565 special eligibility places.

Skilled migrants “are complementing rather than competing with our domestic labour force.” according to MP for citizenship Chris Bowen.

Jason Diggs of international removals company Anglo Pacific said "We’ve had a rush of interest from applicants using the old points criteria while they can. They will be further encouraged by the fact that there are now more places on the Migration Program as Australia endeavours to meet genuine skills needs rather than just paving the way for those who simply wish to live in Australia for its climate and way of life.”

The new Australian immigration skilled worker program will be labelled the Skilled Migrant Selection Register, known as SkillSelect. From 1 July prospective applicants will be asked to fill out an Expression of Interest (EOI) form to get the ball rolling.

"Those interested in working temporarily in Australia will see a newly defined pathway open to permanent residency...The future is bright for Australian migration and good advice is more valuable than ever.” said Brian Duff, comms manager at Anglo Pacific.